Her Good Name by Ruth Axtell

Author:Ruth Axtell [AXTELL, RUTH]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8024-8381-2
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2012-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

“Your beau is outside.”

Espy looked at Alvaro from the couch, where she sat stitching a patch on Gus’s trousers. “Who?” she asked absently, wondering whom her brother would construe as her beau these days.

“Mr. High and Mighty Brentwood.”

Her head snapped up, and she smothered an exclamation at the needle prick to her forefinger. Bringing it up to her lips, she mumbled, “What are you talking about? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Before he could respond, they both heard a knock on the door. The two stared at each other, Espy feeling as if she’d been cornered in a cove by the incoming tide.

Why was it Warren always saw her at her worst? This afternoon she was wearing a soiled apron over her oldest work skirt. She’d been scrubbing the kitchen floor at the Stocktons’ and only come home a half hour ago. Gus had shown her the rip in his trousers from the school ground. He needed the pants tomorrow morning.

“Aren’t you going to answer?” Alvaro continued, leaning against the edge of the window.

“Why don’t you? Maybe he’s come to see you about something at the mill.” Though she doubted he’d walk all the way here to talk to Alvaro about work, even if he had done so to hire him. That seemed an age ago.

Alvaro’s face closed up. “I’ve done nothing wrong.” But without another word, he straightened and walked into the entry hall. A moment later, after the sound of low voices, he returned. “It’s for you. It’s his sister.”

Annalise? Hastily, she set aside her sewing and stood, smoothing down her apron over her skirt. Her hand went to her hair. Oh, what’s the use?

She marched to the door and stopped in amazement. Annalise stood there, her gloved hands clasping her handbag in front of her. She wore a pretty bonnet wreathed in a sprig of tiny daisies and a white gown with a green pattern and green sash. “Hello, Espy.”

Espy approached the doorway. “Hello.” Her gaze slid beyond Annalise but she saw no sign of Warren. “Are you by yourself?”

“Yes, I mean no.” Her pale cheeks filled with pink. “Warren brought me, but he … had to walk down the street. He’ll be by in a minute.”

“I see.” Even with his sister along, he didn’t want to see her.

“We came—that is, I came to … to ask you—”

Seeing Annalise’s difficulty in talking to her, Espy’s heart softened. “Won’t you come in?”

“No, thank you. I can’t stay long. Mother expects me home soon.”

Clearly, coming to her doorstep was as far as Annalise would permit herself to go. “What can I do for you then?”

Annalise moistened her lips. “Well, you see, Warren and I have just been to see Mrs. Robinson to take her the money collected from the lobster banquet.”

Espy raised her eyebrow. “It’s about time the money was delivered.”

“She wouldn’t take it.”

“Did you try to give it to her directly?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s what we’d discussed.”

Espy looked away, feeling torn. Poor Marie needed it badly, and here Espy had only been concerned with her own problems.

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